BBC Criticized for ‘Painful’ Olympic Coverage Focused on Adam Peaty
The BBC has faced criticism from viewers for its coverage of the Olympics, particularly for its focus on swimmer Adam Peaty. In tense scenes on Sunday evening, Peaty narrowly missed securing Team GB’s first gold medal of the Paris Games, coming second in the 100m men’s breaststroke.
The 29-year-old swimmer, who is dating Holly Ramsay, the 24-year-old daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, was the primary focus of the BBC’s coverage at the Aquatics Centre. However, some viewers expressed frustration, claiming they had to switch to Eurosport due to what they perceived as an “unfair” emphasis on Peaty, as per reports Daily Express.
Many accused the BBC of focusing too heavily on one race and Peaty’s journey, airing repeated video segments when other sports were taking place. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one fan fumed: “Thank God Eurosport have the Olympics on, least we actually get to see the sports, BBC have far too much talking. There are other swimmers as well, not just Adam Peaty.
One swimming race shown pathetic by BBC.” Another complained: “We’ve seen a dozen Adam Peaty VTs; we don’t need another one.” A third vented: “The BBC’s obsession with Adam Peaty is incredibly weird. He’s not dead, FFS,” while a fourth remarked: “Totally painful. Over 30 mins on Peaty: the build-up, the VT, the swim, the interview, the interminable discussions…”
One viewer pointed out that Adam’s race “wasn’t even live and with no times or split times and result.” They continued: “Watch Eurosport mate, all live with results and graphics.” Peaty struggled to hold back tears after missing out on his third successive gold medal by just 0.02 seconds in the 100m men’s breaststroke final. His impressive run began in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and continued in Tokyo 2020.
Had he triumphed in Paris, he would have become only the second man, after American Michael Phelps, to win the same individual event at three consecutive Games. However, the setback was compounded by personal challenges for Peaty, including depression, a split from the mother of his son, a fractured foot, and battles with alcohol. He managed to return and finish third in the World Championships in February and took joint-silver in Sunday’s Olympics race.
Despite this, Team GB’s wait for their first gold medal in Paris continues. Peaty’s girlfriend, Holly Ramsay, who publicly confirmed their relationship in June last year, praised him for being the ‘best father to George,’ his son from his previous relationship with Eirianned Munro.
Holly was visibly emotional poolside, sitting next to George, as Peaty told BBC Sport: “I’m so happy that I can race the fastest in the world and still come second. I’m not crying because I lost; these are happy tears because I said to myself I would give it everything I’ve got and I have. And I can’t be upset about that.”